Euphorbia plant named &#39;bonpri 1049&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Euphorbia  plant named ‘Bonpri 1049’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit; inflorescences with bright red purple-colored flower bracts; and good post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONPRI 1049’

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY-RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Euphorbia Plant Named ‘BONPRI 1069’

Applicant: Andrew Bernuetz

Filed: Concurrently with this application

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, an interspecific hybrid botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Bonpri 1049’.

The new Euphorbia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new interspecific Euphorbia plants with compact, upright and mounded plant habit and attractive flower bracts.

The new Euphorbia plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 515’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,587. The new Euphorbia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Bonpri 515’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia on Mar. 1, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Euphorbia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia since March, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Euphorbia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bonpri 1049’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bonpri 1049’ as a new and distinct Euphorbia plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Freely flowering habit.     -   6. Inflorescences with bright red purple-colored flower bracts.     -   7. Good post-production longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the mutation parent, ‘Bonpri 515’ in the following charactcristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more compact than plants of         ‘Bonpri 515’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more freely branching than         plants of ‘Bonpri 515’.     -   3. Plants of the new Euphorbia have smaller leaves than plants         of ‘Bonpri 515’.     -   4. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more freely flowering than         plants of ‘Bonpri 515’.     -   5. Inflorescences of plants of the new Euphorbia have fewer         flower bracts than inflorescences of plants of ‘Bonpri 515’.     -   6. Flower bracts of plants of the new Euphorbia resist fading         better than flower bracts of plants of ‘Bonpri 515’.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can be compared to plants of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 1069’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of ‘Bonpri 1069’ in flower bract color as plants of ‘Bonpri 1069’ have light pink-colored flower bracts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Euphorbia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Euphorbia plant. The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonpri 1049’ grown in a container. The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bonpri 1049’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and described herewith in detail were grown during the autumn in 12-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial Euphorbia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 23° C. and night temperatures averaged 13° C. Plants were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fourth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pukherrima Willd. ex     Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 1049’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Euphorbia     pukherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 515’,     disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,587. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at 18° C. to             25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at 16° C.             to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at 18° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at 16° C. to 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Compact, upright and mounded plant             habit; inverted triangle; inflorescences positioned above             the foliar plane; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 26 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 38 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Branching habit: Freely             branching habit, about six lateral branches develop per             plant. Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 4.3 mm.             Internode length: About 2.2 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright to             somewhat outward. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: Close to darker than 144A.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 7.2 cm. Width: About 5.3 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Rounded. Margin: Shallowly serrate; undulate.             Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Texture and luster,             upper surface: Pubescent; matte. Texture and luster, lower             surface: Pubescent; rugose; matte. Color: Developing leaves,             upper surface: Close to 143A; along the midrib, close to             N137D. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to darker             than 144A. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Close to             N137A; venation, close to 145C. Fully developed leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137B; venation, close to 145B.             Petioles: Length: About 2.7 cm. Diameter: About 2.2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper surface: Close to 59A. Color, lower surface: Close to             144B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with numerous flower bracts subtending             the cyathia; inflorescences positioned above the foliar             plane.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit; about             nine inflorescences develop per plant.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 18.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 7 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower during the             autumn and winter in Japan; inflorescence initiation and             development can also be induced under artificial long             nyctoperiod and short photoperiod conditions; early             flowering habit, plants flower about 50 days under natural             season conditions in Japan.         -   Post-production longevity.—Good post-production longevity;             plants of the new Euphorbia maintain good substance and             bract color for about seven weeks.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 21. Length,             largest bracts: About 7.6 cm. Width, largest bracts: About             4.6 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Rounded.             Margin: Shallowly serrate; undulate. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent. Aspect: Mostly             horizontal. Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Color:             Transitional bracts, upper surface: Close to 58B and N137B.             Transitional bracts, lower surface: Close to N57C and 146C.             Developing bracts, upper surface: Close to darker than 58B.             Developing bracts, lower surface: Close to 58C. Fully             expanded bracts, upper surface: Close to 58B to 58C;             venation, close to 152A. Fully expanded bracts, lower             surface: Close to 58C; venation, close to 145C. Flower bract             petioles: Length: About 1.1 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 144C tinged with close to 61C. Color,             lower surface: Close to 144B.         -   Cyathia.—Quantity per corymb: About ten. Diameter of cyathia             cluster: About 1.1 cm. Height, individual cyathium: Very             small and undeveloped. Diameter, individual cyathium: Very             small and undeveloped. Shape, individual cyathium: Globose;             sessile. Color: Close to 144B. Nectaries: None observed on             plants of the new Euphorbia.         -   Peduncles.—None observed on plants of the new Euphorbia.         -   Reproductive organs.—None observed on plants of the new             Euphorbia.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Euphorbia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Euphorbia     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 8° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 1049’ as illustrated and described. 